Other items in today’s column include:
*Rabbis entertain Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School pre-schoolers
*Yiddish Arts and Academic Association of North America seeks college interns
*Political bytes
*Coming our way
*Mazel tov! Mazel tov!
*In memoriam
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – When reading the San Diego Union-Tribune, there are times that I feel I am benefiting from more than the news. The newspaper also reinforces some fundamental concepts of good behavior and dare I say it? – morality – in its coverage.
Let me work from the back sections to the front to explain what I mean.
In today’s sports section, in a story about how the San Diego Padres are retooling their lineup, Kevin Acee reports that the Padres were happy with Ian Kinsler last season “save for his continued decline in his offensive production and his obscene gesture and screamed profanity directed at fans.”
The incident to which Acee was referring was back in May, when Kinsler had been struggling at the plate and fans were riding him for it. Suddenly, a nice fat pitch came that Kinsler blasted for a three-run homer. Kinsler flipped his bat, so that it cartwheeled several times in the air, before he trotted around the bases. Then he yelled something that might have been “f— you, your f__ers, which Acee, then Padres-manager Andy Green, and others thought was perhaps aimed at the fans who had been heckling Kinsler. This was denied by our Jewish second baseman; he said he was sharing an inside joke with his teammates in the dugout.
Well, whoever is right in this controversy, the message is clear. Don’t be vulgar in public.
Moving forward to the local section, where there was a story by columnist Diane Bell – one of my favorite writers on that paper – abut the names that people give to their pets. There are two Jewish members of the San Diego City Council, and both of them have pets. Dr. Jennifer Campbell, the 2nd District City Councilwoman, and her partner Suzanne Hawkins have two dogs—Lucy and Mikey– and a tortoise named Shelley. (shell–get it?) Barbara Bry, the 1st District City Councilwoman and a current mayoral candidate, along with her husband Neil Senturia, have a rescue cat called Warbai. Apparently Senturia mis-typed the name he meant to put down—wasabi—and they decided to keep the name.
Later in the column, Bell noted that some people have named their pets “Maisel” after the Jewish family in the Amazon Prime comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
So what’s the hidden lesson in all this? People who are kind, and loving, to their animals are nice people.
In the front section, there was a far more controversial story, but one which also carried a message. Staff writer Emmanuel Morgan reported a law suit filed by Almog Peretz who was wounded in last April’s shooting attack on Poway of Chabad – an attack in which Lori Gilbert-Kaye was killed, and Peretz’s 8-year-old niece Noya Dahan and Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein also were wounded. Among other named defendants, the lawsuit sought damages against Chabad, which Peretz contends had failed to use a $150,000 federal grant to protect the synagogue against attack.
The suit said that a month before the shooting, Chabad had received the funding it had sought because it “believed that it was at risk of an anti-Semitic attack on its congregants.” However, on the last day of Passover—the day the attack occurred—the doors were open to anyone who wanted to come in and there were neither guards nor other security measures in place, according to the lawsuit.
Peretz’s attorney, Yoni Weinberg, commented “Hopefully, this pressure influences them to make a change to protect their congregants and it influences other synagogues as well.”
Without taking a position on the merits of this case to which Chabad has yet to respond, I’d say the story has two morals: Life is sacred; preserve it! and Do what you say you will do!
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Rabbis entertain Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School pre-schoolers
Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School regularly brings rabbis to its pre-school classes to entertain and educate the children. Rabbi Daniel Reich of Congregation Adat Yeshurun recently read the story “Messes of Dresses” to the preschoolers in preparation for Shabat. And Rabbi Daniel Senter recently performed an interactive magic show, and his wife Jodi Senter taught the children how to sing, arm-in-arm, b’yachad (together). It was also reported in the school’s e-bulletin that the Senters have three grandchildren in the preschool program.
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Yiddish Arts and Academic Association of North America seeks college interns
Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh, founding director of the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North American (YAAANA) says college level internships are available for the following positions: Museum Project Coordinator, Web Developer/ Designer; Social Media Coordinator; Photographer; Grant Writer/ Fundraiser. More information is available via this website.
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Political bytes
*President Donald Trump will again be hosting a Chanukah party at the White House. Among the invited guests: Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort of Chabad of La Costa.
* Sara Jacobs has begun running commercials on such cable television outlets as CNN and MSNBC in her race for the 53rd Congressional District. One 30-second spot has a male narrator saying: “We have big problems. Global climate change. National gun violence. The housing crisis here at home, not to mention him (a picture of President Trump). But we only solve anything if Congress finally starts working together. Meet Democrat Sara Jacobs. Her approach: listen to everyone, take the best ideas, do the work. She did that at Obama’s State Department and at UNICEF, protecting kids from human trafficking. She’ll bring that approach to Congress. We don’t have time for partisan bickering. We need to actually get things done.”
*UC San Diego political scientist Tom Wong, a Democratic candidate in the 53rd CD, has received the endorsement of PowePAC+, described as a “national social and racial justice organization dedicated to uplifting the voices of underrepresented communities.”
*Carl DeMaio, a Republican candidate in the 50th Congressional District, has criticized incumbent Duncan Hunter for not resigning immediately after he pleaded guilty to fraudulent use of his campaign funds instead of his promised resignation “after the holidays.” DeMaio called the delay “an intentional effort to manipulate the election timetable to prevent a special election to fill the congressional district.”
*Escondido City Councilwoman Olga Diaz, a candidate in the 3rd county supervisorial district, will be supported at a $100-per-person fundraiser at the home of Francine Busby from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Co-hosts include Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath and Escondido City Councilwoman Consuelo Martinez. RSVP via this website. Another $100-per-personfundraiser will be held at the Bai Ristorante, 1955 Morena Blvd, San Diego, hosted by Frank Carrillo with special guests Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzales.
*A $100-per-person fundraiser for incumbent Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner Horvath at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at a private location in the Cardiff by the Sea section of Encinitas will be co-hosted by Mayor Catherine Blakespear and Councilwoman Kellie Hinze, both of Encinitas, and Del Mar Mayor Ellie Haviland, along with representatives of Planned Parenthood, Naral Pro-Choice California, Fund Her, Emily’s List and the National Women’s Political Caucus of California. To reserve and learn the location, utilize this email.
*In an emailed appeal for funds for her campaign for mayor, San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry declares: “My opponents are backed by the political establishment, but we’re backed by the people.”
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Coming our way
*Cantor Hanan Lieberman, who visits Tifereth Israel Synagogue periodically, will lead a “Torah on Tap” discussion session at 7 .m., Monday, Dec. 9 at the Groundwell Brewing Company, 6304 Riverdale Street, San Diego.
* Torah High School presents for women only a dinner theatre program, “Those Who Inspire,” at the 2nd floor social hall at Congregation Beth Israel, 9001 Towne Centre Drive, at 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 16. Required RSVP via this website.
* A public menorah lighting will be conducted at 6 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 22 in the Palm Plaza at the Westfield University Towne Centre mall . There will be crafts, music, and donuts for the occasion, according to Chabad of University City.
*Chabad of University City at 3813 Governor Drive sponsors a “Chanukah Glow Party” with glow-in-the-dark menorahs and crafts and a black-light dance party, with pizza, donuts, and latkes at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 24. Ticket: $5 child, $20 family. RSVP via this email.
* Beth Jacob Congregation hosts Rabbi Simon Italiaander at an NCSY (formerly called National Conference of Synagogue Youth) Shabbaton beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, and ending at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, and including a Friday night meal and a Shabbat Day Meal. On Saturday evening NCSYers will be taken by limo bus to “top spots in San Diego.” Ticket: $65 prior to Dec. 11; Later: $75. RSVP via this email.
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Mazal tov! Mazal tov!
Rachel Shaked has become a bat mitzvah at Chabad of University City.
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In Memoriam
Hadar (Vinacor) Hyman, 76, died Thursday, Dec. 5, and was buried the following day at El Camino Memorial Park, 5600 Carroll Canyon Road, with services officiated by Rabbi Yossi Tiefenbrun of Chabad of Pacific Beach, it was reported by Am Israel Mortuary.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com. Obituaries in San Diego Jewish World are sponsored by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg.